Three Little Words
by ishipcaskettalways
Summary: "Turning around, she finally met his eyes and what she saw there broke her heart. Confusion. Pain. Hurt. Anger. Everything she never thought she'd see aimed at her. Not from Castle." A short story in which Castle sees Josh kiss Kate, gets the wrong impression & Kate has to explain to him what really happened. OneShot. Complete. About 6 months Post Reality Star Struck. Angst & fluff


**A/N: I keep telling myself that I'm not writing anymore, that I'm leaving the stories to the professionals but here I am again, eh? :P**

**I wasn't sure where I was going with this, it sort of all just _happened_. Little bit angsty and a little bit fluffy, but who doesn't like fluffy am I right!? :)**

**Leave me reviews, and let me know what you guys think! MUAH.**

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He opened the door and she immediately stepped around him, not waiting for an invitation, and headed straight into the living room of his loft. She was wearing her usual work attire, minus the blazer that she'd left at home while in a hurry to get to Castle's to explain. Turning around, she finally met his eyes and what she saw there broke her heart. Confusion. Pain. Hurt. Anger. Everything she never thought she'd see aimed at her. Not from Castle.

"Castle, I need you to listen to me," she said slowly, pleading with her eyes and wanting very badly to walk up to him, to hold him as she spoke, to touch him in some way. She didn't. She knew he wouldn't respond the way she wanted him to.

"Kate, what is there to listen to? You weren't expecting me to show up, I wanted to surprise you and I turn the corner to see you _kissing_ your ex-boyfriend, tell me, what is there to listen to?" He spoke quickly, and her heart thundered at the implications of his words. She couldn't let things with him end, couldn't let them go bad. Castle was the best thing that'd happened to her since her Mom died- the best thing that had _ever_ happened to her, and she could slowly feel herself sinking, feel the weight on her shoulders multiply as everything she'd worked for in the past 5 years nearly crumbled all around her.

Tears welled in her eyes and she turned away from him, a hand on her hip and the other warm and balled at her mouth. She felt his eyes on her as she walked to the window and tried to stop the tears, waited for the lump in her throat to calm so she could speak again. "Castle, please.." it was barely a whisper but she knew he'd heard her. She could hear him shuffling behind her and when she turned back around her eyes found his from his position on the couch. She swallowed and stepped closer to him, trying to find the words to fix what had happened.

"I answered the door, Castle, and he was there. He was telling me he missed me and I told him I was with someone else...he knew it was you. He was inviting me for drinks and I told him that I couldn't, that I was busy tonight. He said he couldn't..couldn't stop thinking about me and he stepped closer to me and I thought for a second that he might be about to kiss me but I didn't think he'd do that, I told him I was with someone and he's never been the kind of guy to do something like that. But he grabbed my face and kissed me and it happened so fast and I swear to you," she went to him quickly, sitting on the coffee table in front of him, her knees between his, and her hands on his thighs. She willed it not to, but her voice shook as she spoke. "what you saw is all that happened. If you would have stayed for a _split_ second longer you would have seen me push him away. I told him to get the hell away from me, to leave me alone."

Kate brought her hands to her lap, her eyes fixed on them, completely in awe over what happened. The moment Josh had kissed her she jerked away, pushing him away from her. But Castle had saw for just that tiny _tiny_ second and spun away, hurrying down the hall and out the clanging metal door to the stairwell and out of her building. She shook her head as she thought of it, of how he must have felt, and when she brought her eyes back to his she felt the tears building up along the rims of her lids, her eyelashes moistening and she swallowed again, prepared to tell him what she should have told him a long time ago.

She knew he could tell she wasn't finished speaking, because he sat there, waiting, listening, love still burning in his bright blue eyes. "Castle, I need you to understand, I need you to know..I had a **good** relationship with Josh, good enough that most people would have been satisfied. But it wasn't enough. It wasn't anywhere _near_ enough. He wasn't you. I didn't.." her voice trailed off, and she took a slow, deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, felt the first tear break from her lashes, swimming a sad, wet path down her cheek before it fell from her jaw. She had to tell him, she needed this as much as he did. She met his eyes again, and could finally see the understanding she'd been waiting for. "I didn't love him, Castle. I never did. But I love you." it wasn't much more than a whisper but it came out stronger than she'd expected.

Slowly, slowly, she felt the weight on her shoulders loosening, lifting, falling around her and suddenly it was easier to breathe. It was the most at peace she'd felt since her Mother's passing and all she could see in that moment was Castle. And how stupid she'd been to keep her love from him all this time. "I love you...Castle. So much," they came together then, slowly, yet somehow still urgently, their lips pressing together and lingering even as they broke the kiss. Their foreheads remained together, and her hand drifted in slow, deliberate movements over his left cheek, feeling the smooth skin there and committing this moment to memory.

His hands were on her neck, and he kissed her again, quickly, darting his tongue out for just a moment. Every kiss she shared with him was special but today, now, it was so much more. She could feel the love pouring from his body, through his fingers, through his lips. This moment was perfect. He brought his cheek to hers and she felt the tear there, brought her mouth up to brush against it as she felt him slide his hands up her thighs, resting on her waist.

"I love you, too," he murmured in her hair as he pulled her from her spot on the table and she quickly complied, keeping her head still so close to his as she climbed into his lap, her thighs rubbing against his as she straddled him on the couch. Their lips caught again, urgent, seeking, finding, their breath coming fast and hot from their noses. She felt his warm hands slide over her back, and then down to grip her ass, finally sliding them up to her thighs, and she rocked against him, humming as she did and then pulled away from him, her head inches from his.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, and felt his hands come up to cup her face.

"No. No. I'm sorry," he placed kisses on each of her cheeks, trailing them around her face and along her jaw as he spoke. "I should have listened to you, Kate, but I was scared. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Her hand reached for his face and she stopped him, looking him directly in the eyes, and then down at his mouth, and she couldn't stop staring, taking in every inch of his face, of the man that she loved so much she could barely stand being away from. She shook her head slowly, a smile creeping up on her mouth. "I love you, Castle."

His face was so adorable, he looked so so happy to be hearing her saying those words and she would give anything to know what was in his head at that moment. She beamed at him and brought her face to his again, kissing him, tasting him and then she trailed her lips down his jaw, down his neck and slid her arms under his, wrapping them around his back and burying her face in his chest. She felt his lips on her head and then his arms snaked around her, wrapping her in a tight embrace and she felt safer than she ever had. In that moment, Kate was completely and blissfully at peace, and she never _ever_ wanted to leave that place in his arms.

_She was irrevocably in love with him._

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**Okay, okay, cheesy right? But please, God, tell me someone liked it!**


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